ROMMEL MAY HALT

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22470, 4 January 1943, Page 5

ROMMEL MAY HALT

Preparing Stand East Of Tripoli

British Supply Difficulty By Telegraph—N.Z Press Assn.—Copyrig m (Rec. 7.30.) LONDON, Jan. 2. Rommel has received reinforcements and is preparing his main stand immediately eastwards of Tripoli, reports Morocco radio. The Eighth Army, after a high speed drive to 50 miles beyond Sirte, is now concentrating for a fresh blow against the tattered Afrika Korps. Advanced units are closely following Rommel’s rearguard retreating from Wadi el Chebir. The German News Agency says that the spearhead of the British forces consist of part of the British Seventh Armoured Division, the Second New Zealand Division, the British Tenth Armoured Division and the reinforced Fifty-first Highland Division. A Middle East communique states—- “ Yesterday our patrols were active westward of Wadi el Chebir. Enemy vehicles and guns were engaged and withdrew. Two Italian armoured cars were destroyed by our forward path's on December 31. No important air operations are reported from the battle area. Sfax was heavily bombed on Thursday night From the above and other operations one of our aircraft is missing.”